For a delegation from the Zhejiang Provincial
Government Information Development of P.R. China, Canberra, October
2003.

Note: For presentation purposes use the frames
version of this document, with a double width screen. The text of
this document will display in one half of the screen and linked
documents in the other. URL: http://www.tomw.net.au/2003/egovfm.html

Introduction

Electronic Government (E-government) seeks to apply networked
computer technology to the delivery of government services.
Information technology has not significantly changed the process of
public sector management, just its implementation. The current
approach is to use web and Internet based technology. These are not
inherently insecure. However, attention has to be paid to ensuring
security technologies which are available are actually used and
understood by those using the system. Also the basic requirements
for good record keeping always needed by government must be
maintained.

The e-government systems currently being implemented are based
on technologies popularised for commercial applications. These
technologies were developed by the academic and research
communities ten years ago. Government can accelerate the progress
of development by applying the latest developments in Grid
technology directly to government, without waiting for use in the
commercial world.

IT for building complex government systems is now commonly
taught to university undergraduate university students. The web
browser can be used as a common interface for applications.
Accessible web design can be used to provide a flexible interface
for wireless devices as well as desktop computers and allow for
easy translation of the interface into other languages.

Internet and the Web - Platforms for Government

Hardware and Networks

Australian Governments developed centralised mainframe computer
applications which were later connected to remote input and output
devices and then terminals via dedicated computer networks. The
Internet does not greatly change this design, providing a more
standardised way to connect systems. The web provides a
standardised user interface for government applications. Government
systems can now be built from clusters of mass produced, low cost
PC hardware, rather than low volume expensive mainframe hardware.
But the equipment holding important government information and
functions must still be physically protected in specially designed
computer centres. The links from government systems can now run via
the public Internet, but still require protection using
cryptographic devices. Interfaces between government systems and
the public require gateway machines and firewalls for protection of
information.

Some points:

Do not place important information on desktop
computers: Desktop computers can be stolen, damaged or
not properly maintained. Important information should be stored
on remote data servers, under guard in specially secured
facilities.

TWO men have been arrested over the theft of two
computers from Sydney airport's intelligence centre,
federal Justice and Customs Minister Chris Ellison has
said.

Earlier this month, Australian Customs confirmed two
computer servers were stolen from the Customs cargo
processing and intelligence centre on August 27.

Today, Senator Ellison said a 19-year-old man and a
24-year-old man, both from Canley Vale in Sydney's
south-west, had been arrested overnight. ...

Locate Computer Centres Remotely: Computer
centres need not be located in expensive and vulnerable inner
city office buildings. The computers can be at low cost outer
industrial areas. These can be modified pallet warehouses with
a concrete floor and steel walls. The roof can be used for
electricity generating solar collectors. Only maintenance staff
need know the location.

Parabolic mirrors track the sun on a single axis and
reflect light onto a strip of high efficiency solar cells at
about 35 times the normal solar intensity's solar cells
convert about 20% of the sunlight into electricity. The
balance of the solar energy is converted into heat, which is
removed by water flowing in a channel behind the solar cells.
The resulting hot water is collected for use in the building
on which the system is mounted. Total solar conversion
efficiencies above 60% are being achieved.

Build Integrated Voice and Data Networks:
Internet networks can now carry voice and video as well as data
traffic. However, many organisations are still running separate
networks and maintaining obsolete telephone exchange equipment.
These can be integrated into one lower cost network.

Networked Meeting Rooms:
As Internet networks can now carry video and voice as well
as data this can be used for decision making. Video
projectors and cameras can be built into meeting rooms and
placed on key staff desk top computers for holding regular
and ad-hoc meetings. These should use the same Internet
standards as for other networking, not a separate
expensive ISDN telephone network. The AccesGrid project
provides designs and software for doing this:

The Access Gridâ„¢ is an ensemble of resources including
multimedia large-format displays, presentation and
interactive environments, and interfaces to Grid middleware
and to visualization environments.

These resources are used to support group-to-group
interactions across the Grid. For example, the Access Grid
(AG) is used for large-scale distributed meetings,
collaborative work sessions, seminars, lectures, tutorials,
and training. The Access Grid thus differs from
desktop-to-desktop tools that focus on individual
communication.

The Access Grid is now used at over 150 institutions
worldwide. Each institution has one or more AG nodes, or
"designed spaces," that contain the high-end audio
and visual technology needed to provide a high-quality
compelling user experience. The nodes are also used as a
research environment for the development of distributed data
and visualization corridors and for the study of issues
relating to collaborative work in distributed
environments.

Use Commodity PCs: Large powerful computers
can be built from clusters of low cost commodity computers.
These are reasonably robust and can be mounted on low cost
steel shelving, as used for the ANU's award winning 192
processor supercomputer. This runs the the Linux Open Source
Software (OSS) operating system and is called the "bunyip:
URL: http://tux.anu.edu.au/Projects/Beowulf/

Data Formats

A topic usually overlooked in computer system design is that of
the format of data used. While hardware can be easily upgraded and
computer linked over the Internet, it can be impossible to
interchange information where formats are not shared. The Internet
has provided the impetus for developing standards and the Web's
XML format provided a way to express data standards\and interchange
information. One problem is that government's tend to want to
define their own format standards when they should be working with
industry and the community. Another problem is the slow pace of
international standards. One success has been the ability to take
old pre-Internet standards and express the same data in new XML
formats.

Software

A daily issue in the
press is the dominance of Microsoft's Windows operating system
and Office automation package. Before Microsoft's rise to
prominence, it was IBM which was criticised for being dominant in
the industry. This may be an issue for economic policy, but in
terms of building practical systems for government it is not an
issue. Provided commonly accepted standards are used both Microsoft
and non-Microsoft software can coexist. When building new systems
government may consider the use of open source software, such the
Linux operating system and the OpenOffice.Org office automation
package. However, while it is often claimed that open source
software is free, the cost of software purchase is only a small
cost of development and maintenance of a system.

This document was prepared using OpenOffice.org software under
Windows XP. The same document can be modified using OpenOffice.org
under Linux.

Another open source package which might be considered is Plone,
a content management system which be used for building complex
government e-business applications:

Plone is built on top of the open source application server
Zope and the accompanying Content Management Framework which have
thousands of developers around the world supporting it.

Plone is ideal as an intranet and extranet server, as a
document publishing system and as a groupware tool for
collaboration between separately located entities. A versatile
software product like Plone can be used in a myriad of ways. Look
through the sites that use Plone section to see a variety of ways
people have implemented Plone and Zope solutions.

Training

The major failing in e-government projects is training. Staff
selecting and installing systems need to be qualified IT
professionals. Those entering data and answering queries need
training in computer use, such as the ICDL Computer Driver's
licence.

Australian Governments Online

Australian Governments were early adopters of Internet and web
technology. The strategy used was adopted from the academic sector.
The strategy was to use the technology initially for non-critical,
mostly public information nd then build inwards to more critical
systems.

Australian Government Information

Government in Australia is three-tiered - Commonwealth
(or Federal), State and Local. More information about
Australia's System of Government is
available from the Commonwealth Department of Foreign
Affairs & Trade.

The use of new technologies for government information
provision, service delivery and administration has the potential
to transform government. This transformation will improve the
lives of Australians. NOIE provides a framework and coordinates
whole of government approaches to support Commonwealth agency
efforts in this area.

Confidence, trust and security are powerful online enablers.
The Government is working to build public trust and confidence in
going online, and addressing barriers to consumer confidence in
ecommerce and other areas of online content and activity.The use
of new technologies for government information provision, service
delivery and administration has the potential to transform
government. This transformation will improve the lives of
Australians. NOIE provides a framework and coordinates whole of
government approaches to support Commonwealth agency efforts in
this area.

Zhejiang Provincial Government current presence online, via a
web search

In building an e-government system it is important to remember
that this will be part of a global network of information (the
Internet). Internet users will use public search engines to find
information. Government information needs to be provided on-line in
a format which these search engines can index. Also the information
should be arranged in a way which encourages other organisations
and individuals to reference. If this is not done then it is likely
that the official government information will not be found in a
search. Below are the top ten web pages found with a search of
'Zhejiang Provincial Government'. None of these appear to
be from official government sources:

Others... Zhejiang Forestry
University (ZFU) , founded in 1958, directly under
Zhejiangprovincialgovernment, is located in Linan city - a
national excellent tourism ...www.study-in-zhejiang.com/webportal/default.asp
- 24k -Cached - Similar pages

Zhejiang fair targets Taiwan
investors... Wang Xiaoling, deputy
secretary general of the Zhejiangprovincialgovernment,
said
the fair would have 2,000 projects on display and more than 3,000
overseas ...fpeng.peopledaily.com.cn/english/
200105/04/eng20010504_69225.html - 17k -Cached - Similar pages

XML Technologies for Government

Open Source in Government

The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) used a locally developed
electronic voting system for elections in 2001. The electronic
polling booths use standard PCs borrowed from government offices
running locally written open source software. The result is a
system superior to one using dedicated hardware at a far lower
cost. The software can be downloaded for free from the ACT
Government's web site.

Online tendering by New Zeland Government

One effective use for e-Government is the tendering for goods
and services. The New Zeland Government has a particularly well
thought out on-line tendering system. Companies can register to
receive announcements by e-mail of tenders available for selected
classes of goods and services:

Education Online

Another good use for on-line systems is education. Australian
state governments provide details of educational curriculum and
educational materials on-line. A good example is NSW:

What is the Board of Studies NSW?

The Board of Studies NSW was established in 1990 to
serve government and non-government schools in the
development of school education for Years K-12. It
provides educational leadership by developing quality
curriculum and awarding secondary school credentials, the
School Certificate and the Higher School Certificate.

Protection of Systems

As well as information provided to the public, the
Board of Studies NSW provides a secure web site restricted to use
by selected staff. The system is protected by a Personal
Identification Number (PIN) and Secure Socket Layer (SSL) encrypted
web pages. The SSL system built into the web is sufficient for
everyday use by government, apart from highly sensitive
information. The major problem with security is with education of
users to use the system properly. As an example many web browsers
have an option to remember the password. This is a security risk
and should be disabled on government systems used to access
sensitive information.

Enter the
Schools Online area

Key your
User Id and PIN then click the Log on
button

School User Id

What is Schools Online?
Schools online is a service that allows School Principals
and selected staff to view and maintain information held
by the Board about their school and students. To ensure
security and confidentiality a user id and secret PIN are
required to access the site.

How do I get a user Id and PIN?If you are a Principal then call Examinations
Branch on (02) 9367 8275 who will send you an application
form.If you are a Staff member your Principal can set
up an account for you using Schools Online.

Internet Access PIN

Tip!

Bookmark this page for faster access. Use Add to Favourites or Add
Bookmark depending upon your browser.

Non-Government Systems Supporting Government

It should be remembered that many systems from
non-government bodies can support the business of government. In
one example the Federation of Australian Scientific and
Technological Societies, uses a web site and electronic mail to
coordinate scientists meeting with members of parliament:

Science meets Parliament

SmP Day is a two day event. The first is Briefing Day, devoted
to informing the scientists on strategies, Parliamentary
processes and issues. Briefing Day features a range of speakers
including senior Parliamentarians and bureaucrats, journalists
and successful lobbyists from other organisations. ...

The second day is devoted to the formal one-on-one meetings
between the scientists and Parliamentarians. Individual meetings
are timetabled between pairs of scientists, and individual
members of Parliament. On average these meetings last at least
half an hour, although some extend over an hour and a half as the
Parliamentarians and scientists invariably find that they have
many useful and exciting matters to discuss.

In this example an informal group of academics,
researchers and interested citizens discusses Internet policy in
Australia:

The Link list is an email discussion list for people
interested in the development of the internet in Australia
although its strays from time to time into wider issues of
communication.

Areas of interest vary from time to time but the following topics
have been of interest -

* Public access to the network
* Access to government information
* Privacy
* Telecommunications legislation
* Censorship and control of content on the network
* Social issues of network behavior such as spam
* Role of libraries in open learning
* Commonwealth/State policies concerning the network
* Electronic commerce
* Open/distance learning and the rise of the virtual campus

List members have taken an active role in -

* Alerting members to publications and conferences of
interest
* Reports on developments from all levels of government
* Circulating drafts of papers and submissions for comment from
the list
* Seeking assistance for particular problems
* Debating major issues concerning the development of the
internet in Australia

This list is maintained by Tony Barry,
me@tony-barry.emu.id.au
The list is currently open and unmoderated.
To see the collection of prior postings to the list, visit the
Link Archives.

Using Link

To post a message to all the list members, send email to
link@mailman.anu.edu.au.
You can subscribe to the list, or change your existing
subscription, in the sections below.

Subscribing to Link

Subscribe to Link by filling out the following form. You will
be sent email requesting confirmation, to prevent others from
gratuitously subscribing you. Once confirmation is received, your
request will be held for approval by the list moderator. You will
be notified of the moderator's decision by email. This is
also a hidden list, which means that the list of members is
available only to the list administrator.

E-Government in an Emergency

On-line systems can be valuable in an emergency, such as forest
firest in Canberra in January 2003:

ACT Chief Minister, has declared a state of
emergency in the ACT.

Powers of control have been given to Peter Lucas-Smith,
Alternative Territory Controller.

This is an official emergency announcement. The ACT
Emergency Services Bureau has advised that there has been a major
deterioration in the ACT fire situation. There is increasing risk
due to fire spotting from the fires to the west...

The World Wide Web provides a useful way to provide
information to the general public and organization staff.
However, in an emergency, web sites can be overloaded by demand.
Ideally web sites should be designed in advance to cope with
emergency situations and techniques such as accessible design,
can help with everyday web use. However, some simple techniques
can be used to quickly modify existing sites to work better when
the need arises. These notes were prepared in response to the ACT
bush fire emergency of January 2003 and recommendations made for
the Sentinel Fire Mapping System, but should have general
applicability. ...

When cyclones, earthquakes or other calamities next strike in
India, district officials in many areas can go online and quickly
mobilize support for evacuation, search and rescue, medical aid
and other relief priorities.

Launched by Deputy Prime Minister and Union Home Minister Lal
Krishna Advani recently in New Delhi, the India Disaster Resource
Network (IDRN) is part of the nationwide Disaster Risk Management
Programme, a joint initiative by the Government and UNDP that
aims to reduce the vulnerability of communities in 169 districts
in 17 States most at risk.

IDRN includes a nationwide inventory of resources, such as
equipment and experts in various fields, required for emergency
response to disasters.

Mr. Advani opened the network through a video conference with
Chief Ministers of five States -- among them Orissa, at risk for
cyclones, and Gujarat, prone to earthquakes - together with West
Bengal, Assam and Maharashtra. These States have contributed to
the IDRN online database. ...

Victoria Online

One vital aspect of government is keeping good records. The web
provides a special set of tools for this with standards for
metadata. In the course COMP3410: Information Technology in
Electronic Commerce, ANU students learn about Electronic Document Management and its implementation
using XML technology. This is discussed in terms of electronic
equivalents of traditional paper documents used by government, such
as letters and reports:

Currently there are 3000 metadata records, and eventually
there will be 250,000 full text records...

How does it work?

.. An online resource is identified;
.. A metadata record is developed;
.. The record is quality assured and added to the appropriate
taxonomy category;
.. In the next release the system will then spider down two
levels from each record and create a full text indext available
to enhance Search.

Victoria Online can be found at http://www.vic.gov.au. The new portal provides you
with a broad range of information and services, and faster,
easier ways to find what you're looking for.

The Grid: New Technology for E-Government

A new initiative called "The Grid" or
"Access Grid" aims to standardise high performance
computer systems and high quality interfaces. This is currently
experimental technology used mostly for scientific research. One
such project in Australia is the GrangeNet high bandwidth network.
However, grid technology is maturing rapidly and can be applied to
government applications for maintenance of very large databases and
for video conference systems for routine decision making by
officials and for emergency management.

Biographical Notes

Tom Worthington Chief Investigator, Australian Creative
Resources Archive Project. He is an independent information
technology consultant and Visiting Fellow in the Department of
Computer Science at ANU, where he lectures on electronic commerce
and web technology. Tom is one of the architects of the
Commonwealth Government's Internet strategy and was the first
Web Master for the Australian Department of Defence. In 1999 he was
elected a Fellow of the Australian Computer Society for his
contribution to the development of public Internet policy. Tom is
also a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics
Engineers and the Association for Computing Machinery.